Man arrested after €120,000 cannabis seized in Dublin joint operation
On 13 May 2025, a woman in her 40s was found in critical condition at the bottom of the stairs at a residence on Taylor Hill Grove, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, and was taken to Beaumont Hospital, where gardaí are investigating an alleged assault. Also on 13 May, James Gilleran, 70, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to five counts of indecent assault on three boys, Rory Patchell, Stephen Devlin, and Greg Stafford, aged between 11 and 13, committed between 1983 and 1987 while he was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group. On 14 May 2025, a joint operation by Revenue's Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and Drugs Serious Crime South seized approximately 6kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €120,000 in Dublin, and a man in his 40s was arrested and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. Gilleran had a previous conviction for sexual assault in 1997 and had been a public face of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day campaign in 2021. Investigations into the cannabis seizure and the alleged assault are ongoing.
- Reported14 May
- Arrested14 May
2 reports - Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced14 May
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- Approximately 6kg of herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €120,000 was seized in Dublin.
- A man in his 40s was arrested and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.
- A woman in her 40s was found in critical condition at the bottom of the stairs at a residence on Taylor Hill Grove, Balbriggan, Co Dublin.
- Where
- The seizure was part of a joint operation by Revenue's Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, and Drugs Serious Crime South based at Clondalkin Garda Station.
- When
- The cannabis seizure occurred on 14 May 2025.
- The alleged assault was reported at approximately 9.30pm on 13 May 2025.
- Investigation
- Investigations into the cannabis seizure are ongoing.
- Gardaí believe the woman may have been the victim of an alleged assault and a technical examination was carried out at the scene.
- In court
- The woman was taken to Beaumont Hospital.
- The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
- Charges
- James Gilleran, 70, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on three boys aged between 11 and 13 on dates between 1983 and 1987.
- Sentence
- Gilleran was jailed for two years.
- Other details
- Gilleran was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in Dublin during the 1980s, had a previous conviction for sexual assault in 1997, and was a public face of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day campaign in 2021.
29 statements extracted from the articles
- whatRevenue officers seized approximately 6kg of herbal cannabis (garda.ie)
- whatThe cannabis had an estimated value of €120,000 (garda.ie)
- whatA woman in her 40s was found at the bottom of the stairs in critical condition. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman was discovered by her husband who returned from work at around 9pm. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe woman has serious injuries and remains in intensive care in critical condition. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe was a scout leader of the 117th Francis Street Scout Group in Dublin during the 1980s. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe abuse primarily involved inappropriate touching. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe boys were aged between 11 and 13 when abused. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe was a public face of the Irish Cancer Society's Daffodil Day fundraising campaign in 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA man he abused contacted gardaí after seeing Gilleran on The Late Late Show as a volunteer in 2021. (irishtimes.com)
- whatCannabis worth €120,000 was seized (dublinlive.ie)
- whatThe cannabis weighed 6kg and was herbal (dublinlive.ie)
- whatA man in his 40s was arrested (dublinlive.ie)
- whereThe seizure took place in Dublin (garda.ie)
- whereThe incident occurred at a residence on Taylor Hill Grove, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe seizure occurred on 14 May 2025 (garda.ie)
- whenThe incident was reported at approximately 9.30pm on Tuesday, 13 May 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe man is detained at a Garda Station in Dublin under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 (garda.ie)
- investigationInvestigations are ongoing (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- investigationGardaí believe the woman may have been the victim of an alleged assault. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationA technical examination was carried out at the scene. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe man is detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996 (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationGardaí said investigations are ongoing (dublinlive.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on dates between 1983 and 1987. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe woman was taken to Beaumont Hospital. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceGilleran was jailed for two years after being convicted of sexually abusing three young boys. (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceHe had a previous conviction for sexual assault of a boy in a cerebral palsy clinic, sentenced to four years in 1997, reduced to two years on appeal. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe charity was unaware of his previous convictions until the court reports this week. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 14 May2025Gardai and Revenue seize €120k of cannabis in Dublin joint operation
Initial report of the arrest and seizure; no charges or court date yet.
suspect, 40s, male - 14 May2025Convicted sex offender had no unsupervised access to children as ‘Daffodil Day’ volunteer, says charity
Reports the sentencing and the Irish Cancer Society's response regarding Gilleran's 2021 Daffodil Day volunteer role, including that he was not Garda vetted and the charity was unaware of his previous convictions until the court reports.
convicted, James Gilleran, 70, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Gilleranvictim, Rory Patchell, male, irish (judged from name)Rory Patchellvictim, Stephen Devlin, male, irish (judged from name)Stephen Devlinvictim, Greg Stafford, male, irish (judged from name)Greg Stafford - 14 May2025Gardai probing alleged assault after woman found injured at bottom of stairs
Initial report of the alleged assault; gardaí investigating, technical examination carried out, no suspect identified yet.
victim, 40s, female - 14 May2025Joint Operation - Gardaí and Revenue Seize €120,000 Cannabis, and Arrest Man in Co. Dublin – 14th May 2025
Official garda.ie press release confirming the joint operation, identifying the specific units involved (Revenue's Customs Service, GNDOCB, and Drugs Serious Crime South based at Clondalkin Garda Station).
suspect, 40s, male